Friday, August 19, 2016

Bloomberg, IEEE Spectrum: Starting later this month, Uber will allow customers in downtown Pittsburgh to summon self-driving cars from their phones, crossing an important milestone that no automotive or technology company has yet achieved.

“The minute it was clear to us that our friends in [Google] Mountain View were going to be getting in the ride-sharing space, we needed to make sure there is an alternative [self-driving car],” says Uber CEO Travis Kalanick. “Because if there is not, we’re not going to have any business.” Developing an autonomous vehicle, he adds, “is basically existential for us.”